The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-26

the right TO fix the pay at any time; the
board should do 30 now, and put the sum at
present for 80 cents per day, 81, 10 per week
for food, washing, hair cutting, mending,
shaving and cutting toe nails. Griffin wan.
ted TO know if this isn't in direct conflict
with resolution Of last September, fixing it
at 80 cents a meal We ought to rcscind
that, but can we touch il anyway. II is law
ful for US to change the fees during the pres.
ent sheriff term or at least Tor this year.
II wouldn't be fair to him we have cut
down his salary before, very much, and this
is TO reduce it more. He agreed that the
previous wash bills Of the last sheriff were
too high. but the 50.cent resolution Of Sep
TENDER includes washing and mending.
Reed of Ottawa, opposed it. lie thought
the board cannot go back on its contract OF
last fall 1t is good for Morrissey's term.
Norton: have heard the opinion of
States Attorney Moloney, on the subject.
Read it. 1t recites the statute and case
in the 90 Ills, Supreme Court reports, The
per diem of the prisoners board is no part of
the sherifs salary. IL can be fixed from
time, to time, as the board thinks best The
cost, said Norton, Of prisoners diet, depends
upon the market, and varies from month to
month. There are boarding schools all over
the country that never pretend to charge
more than 81 10 per week, and furnish
everything, while here, the county supplies
nearly everything. II the sheriff won't ac'
cept q reasonable price, We may let the con-
tract, as they do in Chicago. object to pay
ing $4,000 for this thing. II is outrageous
and everyone knows it. Because we have
paid this exorbitant sum in the past, is no
reason why we should do so in the future,
but a good reason why we should not pay it.
Fades thought it should be referred to a
committee, and he thought it out Of order
because it seeks to bind the board in future,
but the chairman decided the point Of order
weak, but to refer was in order.
Norton said to refer is to try to kill the
resolution and TO dodge the vote as well as
to keep out Of the record.
Fischer said the so cent resolution was
put in to help the sheriff out His salary
had been cut down. The sherit's travelling
expenses was allowed 81, 300, now it is 81 ,
800, and so on.
Norton ridculed this idea. If it cost more
to clothe and feed the Is men in Jail than II
did the l20 in the county asylum, as 1t did
formerly, should we continue it? There is
no reason or sense in such an argument II
the former sheriff made 100000, he made
too much, and it would be right TO hold the
present one to $40, 900; but it is monstrous
to think that the sheriff ought to make
double on every article he buys for the
county. To say that his salary has been cut
, down is not true. 1t is $1,000 year, the
same as it has been all along. The sheriff Is
not to be paid by enormous prices for per
ouisi,es Griffin charged Norton with being
n mind reader" for he pretends to give the
very reasons that actuated the committee in
fixing the SO cent fee for the dieting Of pris
oners The resolution and attorneys opin
ion were referred to the court house and
jail committee by % to 10.
The board came together rather slowly
I. after dinner, and, of course, good naturally
and seepily, but were aroused little wheE
Fischer and Norton took tilt at the prison
ers' feed bill. Fischer reported that the
committee would stand by the 80 cent reso
luton of September. Norton said it wa:
mean-a clean. cut case of lodging a vote Oh
his resolution. The committee dare not &c
on record, so the committee had so arranged
it. Fischer has placed himself so as not tC
be caught on the record by voing SQUARED
on the resolution. Fischer accused Norton
of mind reading and declared he was viii
; ling to vote mo- on Norton's resolution
The report was adopted, ayes &C. nays IL
Norton moved that his resolution be spread
on the record Fischer wanted it done II
red ink. The chair ruled the report Of the
committee just adopted did not dispose o
Norton's resolution, and that it was still be
fore the house.
Fischer: II thought the report Of the com
miitee killed the resolution
Norton: That was evidently the inten
ton"
Fischer: "And a very good intention, too.
Laughter.
After a general discussion of the parla
mentsry question and any amount of mud
die developed Bubeck moved to table, and
, it was done, ayes %, nays 10.
An interesting feature of the afternoons
proceedings was bill by Sheriff Morrissey
for travelling expenses, taking prisoners to
the penitentiary, insane asylum, &c The
committee brought him to a sense of his
: position with bang. He had been voted
81 800 travelling expenses at the beginning
of his term. He charged for omnibus, rail-
road and other expenses of taking convicts
to the pententary. The state pays all these
; things and not the county. To have allowed
these bills would have been to give away all
pretense of reform by the board. They told
him when he wanted travelling expenses to
draw from his l,j00 fund, commencing
with one half now. Adopted.
The board met at clock on Wednesday
morning, and they came up in adrowsy con
dtion, perhaps because many of them are
not accustomed to city ways of being up
nights. They met early for the purpose OF
doing vast amount of business, which they
were expected to have from an important
committee, but the committee failed to get
there. Notwithstanding Fisher wanted to
paint the old records red with Norton's reso-
lutions on prisoners grub the day previous,
the board was not disturbed by any signs OF
gore; the clerk read the minutes, no brick
was fired at him, and the proceedings opened
'just lovely"
Mr.. Stevenson, from the abatement com
mittee, found that Assessor Lock wood, OF
Ottawa, had assessed C. j. Duryea's property
40 per cent too high, and that the same
should be reduced also, that J. c. Durley,
of Streator, was in the same predlcament,
and his taxes ought to be one-third less. AS
to a petition of Mr.. Vance, of Farm Ridge,
thew found that he had paid on property he